Before the holidays kicked off, Ducky and the gang went on a family vacation to the Lake District in Northern England. They went on several boat rides, hiked lots of trails, and even rode some old fashioned choo-choo trains. Each had their own favorite moment.

Ducky’s favorite part was when we got caught in a “lamb jam” (traffic jam caused by grazing sheep), when driving on old country roads. They got several good laughs as humans tried to shoo the sheep off the road.

Pembleton’s favorite part was hiking around Lake Derwentwater. He cataloged different plants and animals he spotted along the hike in his science journal.

Ted’s favorite part was the bird show at Muncaster Castle. He liked seeing the hawks soaring in the sky and swooping over the crowd.

Blizzard’s favorite part was eating lots and lots of sticky toffee pudding! It is his favorite dessert in all of England, especially when topped with ice cream.

To celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, Pembleton introduced Ducky, Ted, and Blizzard to his old friend Mr. Peabody.

“Who is Mr. Peabody and why are you so excited for us to meet him?”, Ducky asked.

“Just wait. You’ll see”, Pembleton replied.

When they arrived, Mr. Peabody talked on and on about something he called a “wayback machine”. They all got inside the machine, and to Ducky’s surprise, they were suddenly transported back in time to 1215 in medieval England!

There were a bunch a funny looking men, all standing around a fancy piece of paper. Pembleton started geeking out, and Mr. Peabody explained that this historical document meant that the King or Queen of England had to follow their own laws. In essence, the Magna Carta established that no man, or animal is above the law.

After the signing of the document. Thy all got back in to the “wayback machine” and were instantly back in the year 2015. Ducky was really happy to be back home, because he was really hungry and it was snack time.

Like this:

Last night, Ducky dreamed that him and Pembleton were in a video game. They almost got eaten by Pac Man and they had to jump from one platform to another collecting bananas. Then after rescuing a princess, they met up with Donkey Kong and who ate all the bananas they collected.

While it was fun being in a video game, Ducky is glad that he isn’t stuck in there and can enjoy the real outdoors.

Once freed from the ropes, Ducky and Pembleton quickly ran to where the dinos were being held captive.

“Hurry, we have to catch Professor Plumbottom and the Cat Pirates. We can’t let them take Xanadu!” Pembleton shouted.

“Don’t worry, Pembleton. I won’t let them get away!” Ducky said as he mounted his dino buddy. “We will stop him.”

Ducky and his dino buddy charged down the pier. Ducky shouted, “Tally Ho!” as they jumped off the pier and into the water.

The Cat Pirates were already in their hot air balloon. Captain One Mitten, always ready for the escape. But the Professor, who was old and portly, struggled to get in to the balloon as it slowly drifted away.

“Not so fast, Professor. You’re not going anywhere!” Ducky said as his dino buddy grabbed his robe.

“Help Captain One Mitten,” the Professor cried.

“Sorry, but I need to live to tell another tale,” he said as he pried his fingers off the basket. “Till we meet again Ducky,” the Captain said slyly as he floated off.

“Next time,” Ducky replied unhappily as the Cat Pirates once again got away.

Ducky and Pembleton were tied up. Professor Plumbottom rubbed his grubby little paws together. “I first started hearing rumors about Xanadu years ago when the Animal Adventurer’s Society was first established, but nobody knew where it was. After years of research I narrowed down the location but there was still hundreds of miles of Himalayan mountains to search. So I hired Mr. Sloth to create a 3D scan of these mountains. Unfortunately, Mr. Sloth’s plane went down due to the strange magnetic field surrounding Xanadu.”

“Yeah, yeah, get to the point!” Ducky interrupted.

“The point is, Xanadu is gonna make me rich! Everything was going according to plan until Pembleton and his rag-tag team decided to stick there beaks where they don’t belong.”

“How is Xanadu going to make you rich?” Pembleton asked.

“I’m going to turn this place into a resort. It will be my own little Jurasic park. Animals will come from around the world to relax in the spas and get massages from T-Rexs. And the best part is I don’t have to build the village or even pay for the labor. I will force the dinos to work for free.”

It took Ducky and Pembleton about 0.37 seconds after entering the Forbidden Caves to know why no one had ever returned.

“Whaaaaaaa….!” They were sliding completely out of control on a river of icy slush.

After a few seconds, Pembleton seemed to get the hang of things and Blizzard climbed on to his back. Ducky flailed his arms trying to keep Ted above the water; he eventually figured out how to ride the icy river rapids.

Just when Ducky was starting to enjoy the ride, he heard a loud roar from ahead. Over the noise Pembleton yelled something back to Ducky. It sounded a lot like … “WATERFALL!”

“I can’t believe we made it all the way across that sketchy wooden bridge without any problems,” Ducky said as they reached the entrance to the Forbidden Caves. Ducky was in a better mood ever since the monks from the temple got him a cozy snow suit and harness so that ted could be strapped to the front. “Wow, there sure is a lot of junk up here for a place that’s supposed to be forbidden.”

“This isn’t ordinary junk,” Pembleton answered. “Look there’s a crate, a can of oil, and a parachute. It looks like someone was throwing stuff out of their plane to lighten the load.”

The gang got off at the last stop – a small Tibetan monastery on a high mountain peak. Pembleton knew some of the animals there and figured it was a good place to start investigating. But as the train pulled away, reality set in, and amidst all the snow and ice, Ducky had a meltdown.

“I’M SO C-C-COLD!” Ducky blubbered.

“Don’t worry Ducky, we will get you thawed out once we get inside,” Pembleton replied as he offered Ducky the last cookie.

“I hope your friends have some warm clothes for us, Ted and I can’t handle this cold weather as well as you and Blizzard!” Ducky said between sniffles.

“Let’s get inside. Harry the snow hare is waiting for us. He should have some gear for us.” Pembleton said, as they headed toward the monastery.

Since there was no way to send Ted and Blizzard home, Ducky and Pembleton decided they would have to come with them on their adventure.

Traveling by train into the Himalayas, there wasn’t much to do. So Ducky and the gang decided to order snacks. The train’s menu had cake, rice pudding, and a Yak’s milk yogurt. Pembleton was feeling very tired and Ducky convinced him to order one of everything, but only Ducky tried the Yak yogurt.

From their cozy train cabin, they nibbled on their snacks and watched the green hills grow into snowy mountain peaks as they headed up and up and up into the Himalayas.

“So what’s the plan?” Ducky asked. “Are we just going to fly in to the Himalayas, do the rescue and be back by snack time? Ted said they are making cookies with Mrs. Cottontail.”

“No, Ducky. Unfortunately we won’t be making it back for snack time. There is no suitable landing strip in the Himalayas, so we will be landing about 50 miles south of the mountains. From there, we can take a train.”

“A train? I love trains. Will there be a snack car?” Ducky said all excited.

“I just hope we make it in time,” Pembleton hesitated, “There is only one train per week and it leaves this afternoon.”

***

5 minutes before departure…

“I got the tickets,” Pembleton said nervously. “But I don’t know which track. We need to hurry, but all the signs are in an animal language I don’t know.”

“Hey, Pembleton? Is that, who I think it is?” Ducky asked.

“Who? Where?” Pembleton asked. “EDGAR! What are you doing here?”

Edgar the Elephant and member of the Pooh Bear Society, replied, “I’m visiting my family. They run the local trains, and I’m helping out.”

“Great! We are on an adventure and our train is about to leave any minute. Can you direct us to the right train?” Ducky asked.

“You are in luck. It’s right behind you and I’m about to give it the go ahead. Hurry up and find your seats. And good luck on your adventure.” Edgar said.

“Thank you!” Ducky said, as he dragged his luggage in to the train car. “Boy does our luggage feel oddly heavy.”

To be continued…

“You got our tickets and I got our luggage. Now which train do we take?”

Ducky and Pembleton packed their gear, then dropped the lil’ guys off at Mrs. Cottontail’s cottage, before heading to the airfield. Things were running smoothly until a patch of dark clouds appeared on the horizon as they were over the Horn of Africa and entering the Indian Ocean.

Before they knew it, the plane was surrounded by rain, thunder, and lightning. Visibility was down to 100 meters. Pembleton turned to Ducky and said, “Thank goodness for the planes top notch altimeter and GPS systems,” but just as he tapped on the plane’s compass, all of the instruments went haywire. Both Ducky and Pembleton were scared. “Without my instruments, we don’t even know which way is up. What are we going to do?”

Just when they thought all hope was lost, Ducky saw something strange. He tapped Pembleton on the shoulder and yelled over the hum of the plane’s engine, “Follow that elephant.”

Confused, Pembleton yelled back to Ducky, “What are you talking about? We’re almost a mile above an ocean. There can’t possibly be an elephant here!”

“Over there! Over there! Look at that cloud! It’s an elephant and he’s pointing the way!”

“You’re right! It is!” Pembleton turned the plane to follow the elephant and within a matter of minutes they were leaving the thunder storm behind. They waved goodbye as they passed their fluffy elephant buddy and headed off into clear blue skies.

Lionheart, a wise old tortoise and president of the AAS, stroked his long white beard quietly waiting for Pembleton to calm down. Once Pembleton was between breaths, Lionheart quickly interrupted, “How about having a homemade cookie? They’ll help cool you down.”, and he shoved a cookie in Pembleton’s mouth before he could object. Then Lionheart explained, “If it were up to me, you know I would approve this operation, but I simply don’t have the authority to overrule our senior members. I’m sorry, but my hands are tied.”

“It’s not about the money. I’ll fund the entire expedition myself if I have too. I’m just disappointed that the AAS would turn its back on animals in need.” Pembleton explained, a little more calm after munching another cookie. Then he turned to Ducky and said, “Let’s get going. We have a long way to go.”

Late at night was Pembleton monitoring the air waves with his ham radio, but all he heard was the soft crackle of static and the munching of cookies. Suddenly a voice broke through the noise. “Mayday! Mayday! Help! We’re going down!”

“What is the problem? What is your current position?” Pembleton shouted into the microphone. Then he heard some rustling of nobs and buttons, “We are losing altitude too quickly. Our rudders aren’t responding to controls, and our GPS is all wonky, but we should be just south of the Himalayas.” Then there was some more rustling and a faint “Wow, this place does exist,” before a loud CRASH!!!

“Wait! Are you still there? Is everything alright?” But there was nothing. Pembleton quickly stood up and told Ducky, who was hiding behind the chair, “We have to alert the Animal Adventurer’s Society immediately.”

Ducky and the gang are about to go on a new multipart adventure into the unforgiving Himalayan mountains. On this adventure, they will face danger at every turn, overcome impossible odds, meet new friends, and discover the secrets of a lost civilization. Stay tuned for the first part of this exciting adventure.

Ducky and Pembleton are living in a mysterious and amazing place called Haifa, Israel. Every weekend they explore new places in the city. Last weekend, they explored the Haifa zoo and met lots of new friends. Today, Pembleton woke everyone up early and announced that he found an amazing place called the Bahai gardens, right here in Haifa. So they packed their backpacks with snacks and juice and took the bus downtown.

When they first got off the bus, Pembleton said, “that doesn’t look right. We were supposed to be in a different place.” Pembleton checked the map and couldn’t recognize any of the street names. He turned to the others and said, “I’m sorry guys. I think we are lost.”

Ducky turned to him and said, “Don’t worry Pembleton. I’ll ask someone for directions.” Once Ducky got directions from a local puppy, they discovered they were only one street over from the entrance to the Bahai gardens.

The gang spent all day exploring the incredible Bahai gardens, and when they were done, they finished the afternoon with lunch and an ice cream cone. Before heading home, they stopped back at the base of the gardens for a group photo. It was a pretty awesome day.

Once Ducky and the gang were discovered as intruders, the jig was up. The cat pirates rounded them up and snatched Ducky’s mustache off.

“Who do we have here?” said Captain One Mitten. “Well if it isn’t my arch nemesis Ducky and Pembleton. Because of you, Egor has turned soft. He now volunteers at a nursing home and is doing community theater. It disgusts me how he is such a stinkin’ do good-er.”

“WHAT?!?! Never mind you. Keep your mouth shut, while I come up with an evil plan to deal with you and this time you won’t get away.”

Just as he spoke his last word, there were high pitched sirens from outside on the docks.

“This is Scotland Yard. You are surrounded. Come out with your paws up and don’t try any funny business.” Chief Bear-Brown yelled through the megaphone.

“NO!!!!! How do you always foil my plans?” Captain One Mitten yelled, as one of his crew members confirmed they were surrounded by the Scotland Yard K-9 Unit.

“You see my dear fellow, Inspector Conrad, or you may know him as Mousetrap, contacted his colleagues at Scotland Yard and requested back up before we entered your hide out. You never stood a chance, especially once Ducky, or should I say Cheeseball, started the piratey celebration.” Pembleton replied. “Now let’s get Mr. Sloth back to Abigale and the crown jewels back to the museum.”

Realizing they had been defeated. The cat pirates and Captain One Mitten were marched out of the cannery, by Conrad and were off to the pokey.

Ducky, Pembleton, and Conrad dashed out of the museum and in to the dark London streets.

“Where did he go?” Ducky asked.

“That’s the easy part. Do you see the dark puddles on the road? The robot is leaving us a trail of oil we can follow. Let’s go.” Pembleton exclaimed.

“Wait. I know a faster way,” said Conrad as he hailed a taxi. “Stop in the name of the law. I hereby commandeer this taxi by the authority of her majesty, the Queen.” The taxi driver was a little confused, but quickly got out of the car as Ducky, Pembleton, and Conrad climbed in.

“Where do you think he is going?” Ducky asked.

“I think I might know, but let’s not take our chances. Follow that trail!” Pembleton shouted.

Pembleton, Ducky and Conrad took a taxi to the museum. When they reached the London Animal Museum, Ducky was amazed by how large it was. The building took up two city blocks and was made of marble.

They climbed the marble staircase to the main entrance. There they were met by two mole security guards wielding squirt guns.

“Freeze or you’ll get a mouth full of cold stinky swamp water,” one mole said with a Scottish accent.

“No! Don’t shoot, I’m Conrad, Investigator with Scotland Yard!”

Conrad hurriedly explained the situation and the other mole radioed in for the central security chief to let them in the museum. They entered the huge lobby and were greeted by a several museum exhibits.

“Whoa! Check out this wooly mammoth skeleton. I wish Ted was here to see this. It’s AWESOME!” Ducky exclaimed.

“Ducky, we can’t get distracted now! Abigail is counting on us. We need to find the crown jewel exhibit. Once there we need to figure out how to stop the cat pirates and rescue Abigail’s dad!” Pembleton said as they rushed up the steps to search the rest of the museum.

Late one night, Ducky was sitting in the DtPb PI office snacking on some cookies in the dark, when all of a sudden there was a knock on the door. The noise startled Ducky but thankfully not enough for him to drop a cookie. Ducky adjusted his hat and said, “Come in.” As the door slowly creaked open, Ducky didn’t know what to expect. He wondered, would it be an aardvark with an adventure, a monkey with a mystery, or a rodent with a riddle?

When the door finally opened Ducky was surprized to find Ted huffing and puffing from opening that huge office door all by himself. Ted wanted to know if Ducky wanted to watch a movie together and eat some popcorn, while he manned the office. So they watched a movie and ate popcorn.

Earlier this week Ducky received word that his friend, Mr. Shnookums, had been picked up and put in to the pound again. Ducky knew he had to get him out, so he devised a top secret mission to get him out of the poky. Ducky, a master of disguises, donned his homemade puppy costume to go deep undercover.

Ducky allowed himself to be captured. As the Human was carrying him to the back to the vehicle, he unclipped his keys and tossed them to Pembleton.

Later that day, a cake was delivered to the pound right before closing hours. The cake was for a puppy named ‘Ducky’. The humans looked at all of the collars, and when they found the strange looking puppy with the name ‘Ducky’, they slipped the cake in to the cage. It took a lot of self control and will power to wait the 2 minutes it took for the staff to finally leave. Once the coast was clear, Ducky ate every last crumb, but thankfully did not eat the keys hidden inside. Then it was time to get to business.

Ducky unlocked his cage, then Mr. Shnookums’. He was about to leave, when he heard some whimpering. The other little guys were giving him sad puppy eye’s and he couldn’t leave them there. He had to help them all escape!

He unlocked every cage, even the ones with cats. And then they made a break for it. Thankfully Pembleton was waiting near buy with a van, that would take them to safety.

Within a couple of days, Ducky and Pembleton’s relocation agency had found loving homes for all the little guys, even the cats.